The team here at Cycledivision are all familiar with Trigon bikes as they’re raced by our current championship winning junior squad as well as our hugely successful senior team from a couple of years ago.

This last year has been one of huge growth for us and we’ve taken two new brands on to keep up with demand.

We decided on Scott and Cannondale, both worldwide brands with an outstanding reputation for innovation and performance.

New man on the team Ben has owned a Cannondale Caad5 and Caad 8 so was somewhat familiar with them, Gareth however has never had the opportunity to see what the hoopla is all about so with a holiday in Gran Canary booked for December he took the chance to spend a week riding the legendary aluminum Caad10 through the valley of tears and up the Pico de Las Nieves.

 http://www.strava.com/activities/103415557

 As an aluminum frame the Caad10 is as good as it gets but how good is that?

Extremely it turns out, the steep frame angles and aggressive geometry are designed with racing in mind and this bike handled as well as any carbon frame out there. On the 20km descents Gareth had no issues sticking with riding partner for the week Tom Stewart a current pro riding on the Maddison Genesis team.

On the Climbs Gareth had to work extremely hard to stay with Tom but never once felt the bike held him back, the bike climbs extremely well for an 8kg build. It felt much lighter than it actually was.

Cannondale have worked their magic and although this frame was super stiff and accelerated like a jet fighter it sailed over the bumps with very little in the way of vibration coming back to the rider.

After riding 600km in one week you get to know if a bike really is comfortable and this one truly is.

The frame has been developed over 15 years and it shows in all areas.

At 1150g with a 360g full carbon fork the weight is up there with carbon competitors.

As far as looks go the Caad certainly stands out with a more old school straight top tube and slightly larger main triangle, another plus with the Caad 10 is that most riders will fit 3 sizes, for a lower front end you can go with smaller size and a longer stem, if you prefer a more upright position then a size larger than normal with a shorter stem should see any cyclist right.

Gareth came back with nothing but positive praise for the bike, he’s ridden plenty over the years as an elite level rider based in the UK and Europe and he believes it’s the best aluminum frame he’s ever come across.

With a 105 groupset and Shimano RS11 wheels the bike was a solid build with the frame being the stand out highlight, it’s such a good frame that some of the Cannondale professional team have elected to use it in international competition.

Gareth had such high praise for the bike that staff member (deep pockets, short arms) Ben has actually bought one.

For any information or advice regarding the Caad10 or any Scott and Cannondale bikes see cycledivision.co.uk

 http://www.strava.com/activities/100457682

We’ve taken two new brands on this year, Cannondale (featured in our first blog) and Scott.

Scott have a rich history in cycling have been innovators from day one, they pioneered time trail (aero handlebars) in 1989 so they know a thing or two about aerodynamics and they’ve gone on to build some or the world’s fastest road cycles.

The CR1 which is still going strong in its current entry level version and the Addict, an incredibly stiff lightweight machine that helped Mark Cavendish dominate sprint finishes in the Tour De France for three years running.

The third bike in the Scott road range is the foil, this is their aero steed and it’s built with one thing in mind, pure speed.

This bike has been our biggest seller since the showroom opened late last year and we’ve had nothing but great feedback, we always like to hear what the customer thinks but we as retailers believe we should get to know the bikes ourselves.

In December Ben (Sportivist, occasional cyclocross and road racer) from our road department had a holiday booked in Lanzarote with his Wife (road and cyclocross racer) Sarah.

They decided to spend some time riding the volcanic islands highway and byways and took the opportunity to rent out a pair of the Scott Foils.

Bens spent the last year riding a comfy full carbon sportive bike, his only experience with aero bikes was 2010 when he owned the Cervelo S1, a bike he felt although fast was overly harsh and left you beat up after too long in the chair.

With current lower back troubles and the memory of the S1 Ben wasn’t sure how his body would handle the transition to the aggressive and stiff Foil.

After 5 days, 300 miles, lots of hills and hurricane wind he realized he needn’t have worried.

The Foil was no back breaker, it felt as complaint and smooth as any bike he’d ever ridden, perhaps it was the layback on the seat post or the carbon post itself but road buzz and back pain was never an issue, the foil had no problems on some of the islands bumpier back roads and was also hardly effected by strong cross winds on the mountain tops. (A big issue on the S1)

Sarah rode a 52 foil and she fell in the love the bike, she loved the handling and said it climbed like a scolded whippet (her words exactly). On the descents the sharp handling inspired confidence and the aero frame and awe inspiring power transfer made light work of the islands long straights and drags.

Sarah managed to bag herself some Strava QOM’s while out there and so enjoyed the bike that on returning home she purchased one for herself.

The bike did everything you would want it to and more, aerodynamically and at speed it was rapid and all day rides where handled with ease.

It would be ideal for racers or sportive riders, you can get the Foil in standard-11/25 option or compact with 11/28 so each end of the market is properly covered.

If you’re a man or a woman who wants a great looking bike with high performance levels the Scott Foil could be just what you’re looking for.

The Scott Foil 15 is available from cycledivision reduced from £3999.99 to £2399.99. Call in or drop us a line if you need any more information.

Ricky trying the bike and kit out.

At Cycledivsion we see many famous names from the world of motor racing, being under the umbrella of motodirect and part of the same company as RST motorcycle clothing rarely a day goes by when our offices, corridors and showrooms aren’t frequented by a motorcycle legend, a four time boxing world champion however is an unusual sight in our building.

Team member Dan (fancy pants) Storey was contacted by Ricky Hatton’s team asking if we could help them out with an audacious charity challenge. The infamous La Mont Blanc cycle, an epic 140km journey taking in some of Europe’s most challenging climbs and descents.

For most experienced cyclists this would be an extremely tough day in the chair and Ricky is taking the challenge seriously, he’s embarking on a grueling training regime to shed some extra muscle mass in order to complete the course as quickly and easily as possible.

Ricky popped in with his team to get fitted up properly for his first serious road bike the Trigon TR426 with 11 speed Shimano Ultegra gearing, this machine with its full carbon frame set and compact drive train should help Ricky in the thin air and mid-summer heat of the French Alps.

Ricky is taking on this challenge to raise money for the Manchester-based charity Barnabus.

Founded 23 years ago, Barnabus supports the homeless through its outreach, drop-in and collaborative projects.

The charity is able to help between 500 and 600 vulnerable people each week, but due to a sharp rise in demand, it now needs to raise £150,000 in order to extend its premises and improve its medical facilities.

Ricky has already commenced training, as all cyclists know January is never the easiest month to get the miles in, it takes real dedication to get out in the cold and rain,

Ricky needs to be applauded for his determination, he chooses to train before most are out of bed on quiet back roads like a real cyclist.

If you want to help support Ricky in raising money for a cause that he feels very strongly about follow the link http://www.justgiving.com/ricky-Hatton-MBE . He’ll be joined on the journey by Hatton Promotions head of boxing Richard Poxon and unbeaten Sheffield prospects Adam Etches and Scott Jenkins, who are all raising funds for the teenage unit at Weston Park Cancer Hospital.

At cycledivision we have many road bikes in stock, we believe we have the right bike for everyone.

Sportive / endurance bikes:

Bikes with an upright riding position for those who place comfort above all out speed. These bikes have a higher head tube (front end) and a shorter top tube, this is designed so the rider doesn’t have to be in such an aggressive stretched out position, they often come complete with a shallow drop short reach handlebar which increases comfort even more by making the drops on the handlebars more accessible.The gearing on these bikes will generally be compact, 50/34 chainrings up front with an 11/28 cassette at the back.

This gearing should be enough to get most cyclists up the toughest climbs in the UK.Sportive bikes start at around £600, the Cannondale Synapse and Scott Solace are two bikes in this category and both come in a range of specifications. The Scott has a unique forward thinking frame design with the rear brake located under the bottom bracket, this frees up the seat stays and allows them to act as a shock absorber. The Synapse is available in many models, aluminum and carbon and even with disk brakes. The Carbon framed version is one of the most versatile bikes currently available, it’s comfortable but also incredibly stiff and fast.

 Race bikes:

The race bike is generally an aggressive bike with a low front end and an extremely stiff rear, the stiff rear end is designed to make sure every bit of power is transferred to the back wheel and is turned in to speed. The race bike still needs to be comfortable enough to ride all day, fast up or downhill bike and have very responsive handling. Race bikes can be extremely light, they come with compact or standard gearing (53/39 chainset 11/25 cassette).Race bikes can be had from £400 upwards although the general consensus is if you wanted to race the bike you’d be looking at £1000 upwards, this isn’t a hard and fast rule though and it’s not uncommon to see £500 bikes on start lines across the country.

The Cannondale CAAD bikes are a great choice for the new racer, with a strong and light aluminium frame and race geometry they strike a great balance of performance and price.Carbon Evo bikes are the next step up with a 750g frame that’s supers stiff and yet strong enough to stand up to the rigors of the Tour De France Scott make the aluminium Speedster and the carbon race machine is the super light Addict, the Evo and Addict are ridden by professional teams around the world at the highest level, they’re also available from us.We also have the Trigon TR426 which is a fantastic race bike with 11 speed gearing and a carbon fiber frame set, this bike starts at £1600 and is an ideal race bike for anyone out there.

Aero bikes:

Aero bikes are the new kid on the block are built with aerodynamics and performance in mind, the tubes will be shaped to minimize drag and to cut through the air.These bikes work best on flatter roads but they will still perform extremely well on steeper gradients.You can expect standard gearing on these bikes and occasionally even deep carbon wheels.The front end will be low and there are features such as hidden brake calipers, integrated seat clamps and full internal cables.Aero bikes don’t have the same comfort levels as endurance bikes but they can still be used for long distance rides.

£1000 is the current starting price for these machines, they’re generally carbon but there are a few aluminum versions starting to appear although they are on the heavy side.The Scott Foil is an aero bike that performs as well as anything out there, they start at £2000 and are available in a variety of options.The bike is both light and aero and any version could be raced straight out of the shop.Trigon Trigon TR437 is their aero bike, with hidden brake calipers and aero wheels, it’s a true speed machine.The Trigon really stands out from the crowd, with high level carbon fiber and a vibrant colour scheme there aren’t many aero bikes available quite as exciting.

If you need any help or advice on bikes and accessories the team are here to help.

If you look around you’ll see an abundance of sweet hoops out there.The big players produce wheels covering all price points but there’s no doubt you have to shell out some serious sausage to obtain a race worthy set of spinners.Looking at the deep rimmed carbon options your talking £700 upwards for anything with a good reputation and that’s serious moolah.We set out to build a bodacious set of wheels, wheels that are light and aero, strong and eye catching.We also had a budget to stick to, we wanted wheels that would be from our point of view “Bunse” (Bunsen burner = nice little earner).

We started off by searching out production facilities that churned out top quality goods, after multiple test wheels were built up using different hubs, rims, bearings and spokes we settled on 5 wicked prototype test wheels. These wheels which on paper slayed the opposition needed to be put through their paces in all weather conditions to make sure they had the chops to back up their bragging.The wheels were handed out to my colleagues Vicious and Delicious AKA Dan and Gareth.These two young hotdogs know a thing or two about suffering and sacrifice, Delicious is a former national champ and he can still ride like a scolded whippet if needs be.

Vicious is a one man power plant, 59kg of twisted steel and sex appeal and he goes through wheels like a large mouse in a cheese factory. These guys hammered the wheels along the wide open lawless plains of Nottinghamshire, up north through the bandit county of Lincolnshire. They pushed on in to the wild Derbyshire Dales and through to some of Yorkshires most challenging climbs.Only two sets of wheels passed all the tests, they remained true and span with ease after 8 weeks in all weather conditions. These two lone survivors were then passed on to our junior team and management, these guys spent months giving it what for and both sets of wheels remained intact.

We had to decide on the final production model, with a cup of giddy up in one hand and Mili Vanilli’s 3^rd best song “girl you know it’s true” pumping out from the 3D super woofer we decided on the beast that eventually became simply known as Hoobenrooser, after much deliberation we realized this name was ridiculous and wouldn’t fly in the real world and we reluctantly settled on the still awesome AR30. The AR30 has spent a couple of years now as the weapon for our race teams and staff members, the reviews in Cycle Weekly said 10 on 10. We were matched up against Dura ace, Zipp and Mavic and we came up trumps.If you want the sweetest of hoops that don’t break the bank… Fast rollin cruise missiles then give us a call. The AR30 needs you now.

They’re currently used by Tour of Britain winners, riders who’ve beaten Lance Armstrong, Laurent Fignon and Bradley Wiggins and they’re highly regarded by the UK’s biggest cycling publication. For £350 we believe they simply cannot be beaten!…

These are what we reckon are the top road bikes of 2014. They might not all have carbon fibre frames or fancy carbon wheels, they might not even be feasible for your budget, but they’re all great bikes.